Switch arrangements of the species mentioned in the preceding are known for a variety of applications. A switch has at least two contacts, which may be positioned in contact with one another and opened. When they are in contact, an electrically conductive flow is established across the switch. Short circuiting may then occur when the two contacts themselves approach one another.
Besides wire contacts or contacts on printed circuit boards, electric pathways in foils are now commonly used. For example, copper pathways are positioned on plastic supports. Switches can be soldered onto these pathways, but it is also possible to expose sections of the pathways and thus use them directly as switch contacts.
The object of the present invention is to provide a switch arrangement of the species described in the introduction, in which the switch is formed at least in part by a foil for a space-saving switch configuration.
Closing systems in automobiles (doors, tailgate, engine hood and sliding roofs) are a suitable area of application. For manual operation of the closing systems, only switches that include a snap-action mechanism are suitable. By this is meant that when the actuating element is in a certain position the switch jumps automatically—regardless of any (further) movement of the actuating element. According to the prior art, this is achieved with a mechanical tilt-jump mechanism. In slide switches, neutral switching states occur, which are neither open nor closed, depending on the actuation position and actuation speed. They are therefore not suitable for manual operation, but only in conjunction with drive units that rely on external energy, The known tilt-jump mechanisms are not suitable for use in combination with a foil, or they would be very complicated because they are not compatible with the particular properties of foils. With the solution according to the invention, a novel snap-action mechanism is presented that is usable with a switch foil. It is also possible to produce such a switch arrangement with good switching haptics.